We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meagan Boyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Meagan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I worked very hard to get to where I am and built my career as an artist from the ground up. I treated my career as a painter with the same tenacity and dedication one would put into a nine to five. But, it’s the only thing I could pour myself into fully. I was not made to serve a corporation. I am definitely not in my element working in an office setting. I am the kind of person who literally cannot work without a deep sense of purpose. Usually in the “regular job” situation, I end up feeling anxiety around simply being myself. It’s hard for me to censor myself all day in a work environment. I’m also happiest in work flow that is 100% creative and require a lot of time to rest and think and get inspired. Having too many restrictions is very difficult for me.
I do have months that are difficult in terms of fluctuating income, BUT I also have months that are very abundant and exciting.
I try to be in the mindset that projects will come through, that art and art prints will sell, and the wheels are always turning. I would not trade it for anything in the world. I am so grateful that I’ve gone down this path. I love being an artist.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an interdisciplinary artist primarily focused on painting and drawing. I developed my distinct visual style blending esoteric symbols with vibrant colors, whimsical figures, and blooming flora and fauna through years of just painting things that I love and things that call to me. I’m inspired by all things magical and of the earth. My offerings are unique in the sense that I am the only one who can do what I do. I offer original paintings, commissioned art, limited and open edition art prints, and the occasional workshop in which I work directly with students trying to develop skills as artists.
My heart and soul is in everything I create and that’s what make it unique. It all comes from a place of genuine wonder and imagination.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I’m extremely resilient yet extremely sensitive. In January of 2020, I was breaking up with my husband. This person was the love of my life, who are share a daughter with. our daughter was only 2 years old when this occurred, but I was a t my wits end. I was crying myself to sleep every night, not only grieving the end of my marriage but the fear of being a single parent. it became increasingly more obvious after he left that he would not be helping with the care of our daughter in any way. I had to figure out how I was going to pay our rent on my own, her preschool bill, our utilities. We had been splitting everything prior to him moving out. I was scared.
I guess that that fear made me rise to the occasion. I increased my asking price for commissioned work and original paintings. I started offering promos on art prints regularly via instagram, I reformatted my whole website and got really clear on what I knew I deserved.
Within a year of the separation, I had somehow tripled my yearly earnings and was doing it all on my own. I’m two and a half years strong now and so grateful.
When I look back at the time, I don’t know how I did it. It was like divine intervention and the source of creation took over so I could take care of my daughter.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist for me is being able to connect with people all over the world through sharing my vision. Over the years I’ve received the sweetest messages from people living in different countries, people who speak other languages who tell me my work has touched them or helped them heal in some way. A big theme in my work is the interconnectedness of all things in nature. When I create a vision that resonates with someone’s heart or soul or experience, it connects me to them and vise versa. It begins to feel like I’m part of a whole which is such a great feeling especially living in a time where we feel so utterly alone. So this theme of interconnectivity becomes manifest in reality.
Another deeply rewarding thing is the freedom of expression that comes with people TRUSTING and AFFIRMING my vision. This mutual trust that happens between me, the universe, my clients, and my process synergistically work together helping my sense of flow feel pretty constant. I think that sense of freedom is priceless.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meaganboyd.com
• Instagram: @yinshadowz
• Twitter: yinshadowz

Image Credits
Nalina Kaufman Meagan Boyd